Sarah B. Askew

Sarah Byrd Askew (February 15, 1877 – October 20, 1942) was an American public librarian who pioneered the establishment of county libraries in the United States. A prominent librarian during the first half of the 20th century, she worked for (and eventually led) the New Jersey Public Library Commission for 37 years.

Early life and education Sarah Byrd Askew was born on February 15, 1877, in Dayton, Alabama, to Thyrza (born Pickering) and Samuel Horton Askew. She attended Dayton Academy and graduated from high school in Atlanta. After attending business school, she found employment as a stenographer for a brief time, but after working temporarily at Cleveland Public Library in Ohio while visiting her sister, decided to pursue librarianship. She attended the Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science in New York and graduated in 1904.

Career The New Jersey Public Library Commission hired Askew on January 1, 1905, assigning her to travel among the state's libraries to introduce them to modern library practice and to set up a summer training program for New Jersey librarians. She was to be their "organizer and missionary" to "get libraries going," as there were only 66 libraries in the state at that time. In 1920, Askew designed one of the earliest bookmobiles in the US, driving her Ford Model T to carry materials to people who did not have access to a library. Askew served as president of the New Jersey Library Association (1913–14 and 1939–40), vice-president of the American Library Association (1938–39), chairwoman of children's reading for the National Congress of Parents and Teachers (1924–29), and was a member of the Trenton Board of Education (1923–33). By 1942, there were 316 local libraries in the state of New Jersey.

Honors In 1951, Library Journal named Askew to its Library Hall of Fame. The New Jersey Library Association awards an annual scholarship in Askew's honor.

Publications The Place, the Man, and the Book (published by H. W. Wilson Co., 1916) available as a Google Book